A new beta version of the Google app has rolled out to Android users, and there are a couple of interesting changes included with the update.
First up, Google appears to have wiped nearly every reference to Google Now. The sole mention appears when you tap the three-dot menu on a card and get an option to “Customize Google Now.” Considering that all other mentions of Google Now have been wiped from the app, though, that one could end up getting pulled, too.
Instead of Google Now, the cards that used to be known as Google Now are referred to simply as “Feed.” Meanwhile, Google Now on Tap has had its name changed to “Screen search,” which is a bit more self-explanatory.
You can see these changes in the screenshots below, with the one on the left being the old app while the one on the right is the new beta app.
Google hasn’t officially announced these changes, and they’re currently only in the beta version of the Google app for Android, but Google could have a good reason for making this change. Google Assistant is Google’s new digital assistant, and so these changes could be made to simplify Google’s features. Rather than having three different names for features that are presented to users, Google Now and Now on Tap are getting more generic names that’ll fit under the Google Assistant umbrella.
This new beta of the Google app also offers the new In Apps feature that Google announced last month. With it, you can perform a search and find content inside the apps that are installed on your phone, like the name of a restaurant that your friend mentioned in a message.
It’s unclear when this new Google app will roll out to everyone, but when it does, at least you’ll be aware of some of the bigger changes that it includes.